Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-29
HOW THEY FIGHT US.

The thinest, the most disreputabl
scheme lately resorted to by some eastern
papers is to print an autrageously lying
editorial on Wichita followed by privat
proposition to right the thing for stipu
lated amount. The Cleveland Leader i
among the papers east which have beer
turning itself loose. 1t calls Wichita al
unknown town because Bradstreet's dared
to publish the truth of our growth an(
reai;s transactions The Leader winds VI
with.
ssWhen # comes to building the tables arr
turned. Chicago beats Kansas CITY near }
two to one, and Wichita more than Tour tt
one, and New York, where less than foul
times the amount of real estate trading was
done that is claimed by Wichita, dwarfs the
Kansas upstart with twenty-five times as
much business Cleveland is not reported IN
the building investment table, but the figures
would certainly make good showing I'D
comparison with our real estate sales. 1t Is
worthy of note that in the country as a
whole the increase in building has been only
about % per cent SO far this year, while IN
real estate sales tie gain has been about 81
Der cent The increase in building invest
ments has not materially exceeded the rate
of gain in railroad earnings and general
business, but the expansion OF real estate
trading has been at least twice as great as II
would have been but for distinctly marked
and widespread speculative boom IN this
kind of property. As Henry George would
say, more people "want the earth" than for
many years past.
To the above wild comparison between
the greatest and youngest city. in America
is answered the next day by gentleman
who knows both Cleveland and Wichita as
follows:
/ find an article in my mornings Leader
that demands attention, because some OF the
statements therein are misleading. Having
spent most of the present year IN Wichita,
Kansas City, and Chicago, and having read
the dailes OF the three cities during the
whole time, know that you have been mis-
led and are mistaken in some of your figures.
When YOU say that Kansas City's real estate
sales for the first five months OF 1887 were
$i46S6. 45I. Wicbita's sales for the same
time were S34, S93, 565, and Chicagos sales far
behind either city, you give the correct bg-
ures, but then you follow that statement
with this one: "W hen it comes to build the
tables are turned, Chicago beats Kansas City
nearly two to one and Wichita more than
four to one." There you are misinformed.
Each of these cities requires building per-
mits, and since January l, 1887, Wichita has
issued over one thousand permits for build
ings that are now in process OF construction.
Kansas City about the same number, and
Chicago less than half that number.
On every one of the business streets of
Wichita and Kansas City, immense four and
five story blocks of brick, stone and iron are
being rapidly pushed toward completion;
can you say the same for Chicago. On the
contrary the strikes there have brought
building almost to staadstill. Three new
railroads have been constructed into w lchlta
and the same number into Kansas City since
January l, 1887. Have any been built into
Chicago! While | admit that Chicago is
great city and usually does fair share of
her countrys business when she Is feeling
well, yet, in her present condition, with her
builders idle and her streets quiet, except for
an occasional mob, it isn't treating the Old
racer fairly to trot her out and ask her to
show off against her thrifty young rivals In
the southwest, where nature, the elements,
the railroads, and the young men OF the
country are AL working together to build
up magnificent cities in the very places where
the business of the country demand that great
commercial cities shall exist.
l.
nary l, 1888, over ninety thousand dollars
worth of property in Wichita, have made no
Swaps" and find myself short, too short,
of boom lots, and if any of your readers have
well located lots in Wichita or Kansas City
that they are frightened about and will
swap" for good productive property IN
Cleveland (which is the best city in Ohio and
far enough from New York ana Wichita to
have excellent prospects for future growth,
l will Qpeommn1ata them
commission for making the swap | will
no dispute your New York figures, as think
that city still ahead of Wichita or Kansas
City in its volume of business.
Our champion might have added that
the business of Wichita for the year, in
every line, as shown by statistics COM
piled by our board of trade, not only kept
pace with the building boom but surpassed
it in each line by from seventy-five to one
hundred and fifty per cent. He might
have further said that should Wichita keep
up her present rate ofexpansion and multi
piled by two, she would still be behind the
demand of her rapidly developing sur
But what knocks the Leaders
criticism sky high is the fact that Brad
street has our building figures less than
one fourth what they actually are. The
editor of the Leader says that time will
show him to be right The EAGLE has no
in saying that time will show
b i'm TO be fool, in that he attempts role
In matter about which he is profoundly
ignorant-ignorant rs to Wichita's growth,
but ignorant of the forces, the surround
ingstthe environments which are so rap
idly developing the ideal city of mighty
agricultural empire.